


Operation: The Love Languages of Bokuto Koutarou

by spoonfuIIofsuga



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Confessions, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29029788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoonfuIIofsuga/pseuds/spoonfuIIofsuga
Summary: Five times Akaashi told Bokuto he loved him and one time he was told he was loved in return.Akaashi devises a year-long plan to express his feelings and win over the heart of a certain wing spiker with help from the Five Love Languages.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 5
Kudos: 157





	Operation: The Love Languages of Bokuto Koutarou

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! 
> 
> This fic was originally a thread I posted on Twitter, but I wanted to post it here for ease and access. 
> 
> I planned for this to just be an absolute overload of fluff, so I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> You can check out my Twitter here for more Haikyuu and anime content:
> 
> https://twitter.com/spoonfuIlofsuga

Akaashi knows he struggles with expressing his admiration and love for Bokuto through words. His mind races to the point that he can barely get out one sentence, let alone an entire confession. 

The end of his first year at Fukurodani approaches, and a lingering feeling of dread weighs his heart. Akaashi only has one year left to express his feelings for Bokuto and let this man know how much light he has brought to his life. He decides to devise a plan. A yearlong plan.

Akaashi stumbles upon an article listing out the five primary love languages: Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.

Over Bokuto’s third year, Akaashi will dedicate time to expressing his love for Bokuto through each love language. Not only to gain the attention of a certain owl-haired wing spiker but in the hopes that maybe one day, he will gain the confidence to voice his true feelings and also to express the depth of feelings Akaashi has for Bokuto’s impact on his life. 

April arrives faster than Akaashi was expecting, nerves finally settling in, but he has a plan, and he is adamant about sticking to it. 

Spring brings a new school year, his second year on the Fukurodani Volleyball team, and (hopefully) many new beginnings and opportunities. The first bell rings and Operation: The Love Languages of Bokuto has officially commenced.

Part 1: Words of Affirmation

Fingers drum on his desk in a poor attempt to expel the residual nerves from his body. Each class seems to pass progressively slower the closer they get to lunch. He is thrown out of his stupor by the lunch bell and immediately focuses his energy. 

“It’s now or never, Keiji.”

He walks out of his classroom and hurriedly makes his way down the hallway to the usual meetup spot. Bokuto usually lags behind. Akaashi made sure to get to the stairs a bit earlier than usual, so he could calm his nerves. 

He was starting with the easiest love language—words of affirmation. It was already a regular part of his routine and relationship with Bokuto due to his “dejected mode” tendencies, so it wouldn’t be too difficult or out of the blue to add in a few more here and there. He fiddles with his hands in an attempt to focus his nerves on one spot rather than let them run rampant as he approaches the stairs. 

However, that plan is derailed as he is met with a jumping Bokuto Koutarou, waving his arms to get his attention. 

“AGHAASHI! OVER HERE!” He bellows and passersby visibly cringe and recoil their ears away from the loud man. “Hello, Bokuto-san, are you ready to head down?” 

“Of course! Akaashi, it’s been too long since I’ve seen you!” Akaashi startles and looks away in a poor attempt to hide his blush. “We saw each other last week, Bokuto-san, and we will have morning practice again starting tomorrow.” Akaashi glances back over to his friend and swears he sees his hair deflate slightly before he catches his mistake. “But thank you, Bokuto-san, I missed you, too.” He softly smiles to emphasize his point and Bokuto regains his energy once more.

“You’re right, ‘Kaashi! Practice tomorrow is going to be great! I have so many plans for this next year like…” The two make their way through the crowd of students and purchase their food before settling down at their usual spot in the courtyard with the team, all while Bokuto is listing off his various theories and ideas to help the team win Nationals. Akaashi barely got a word in, but that was fine with him—he thoroughly enjoys Bokuto’s enthusiasm and offered a hum of affirmation or a word or two when there was a proper pause in the conversation. 

Lunch passes by without a hitch (thankfully) and Bokuto seems too blind to Akaashi’s new advances (sadly?). Practice rolls around and there seem to be quite a lot of interested first years already assembled in the gym. Akaashi smiles at the group and offers a welcoming gaze, but somehow, that only seems to intimidate the huddle even more. 

Just as he is about to ask their names, a hurricane by the name of Bokuto Koutarou enters the gym. “Alright, everyone! Time to gather ‘round and begin practice, WOOHOO!” He bounds over to the bench to greet a relatively apathetic Yukie while a chorus of grunts is heard from Konoha, Komi, and Sarukui. 

As everyone slowly trickles over to the Captain and manager, Bokuto begins his introductions.

“Hi everyone! Glad to see no one chickened out and everyone wanted to come back to play this year! Wait, chicken… WE AREN’T CHICKENS, WE’RE OWLS! ‘Kaashi, help me come up with an owl pun, quick!” He pouts slightly in Akaashi’s direction and waves his hands around as if he is trying to conjure a pun out of thin air. 

“No worries, Bokuto-san, we all know exactly what you mean.” The captain stops his pouting and continues on with his introductions like nothing else happened. “Now! First years,” he aggressively points to the huddle of first-years making their backs stiffen. 

“I’m the Captain—Bokuto Koutarou, your wing spiker, and Ace! Nice ‘ta meet’cha all! And this,” he quickly grabs Akaashi by the arm, spins him around to face the team, and wraps his heavy arm across his shoulders, “is Akaashi, your Vice Captain! Go on, say hi, ‘Kaashi!”

After taking a millisecond to gather his thoughts and acknowledge that HOLY HELL BOKUTO HAS HIS ARM AROUND HIM, Akaashi begins his introductions. 

“Hello, everyone, I’m Akaashi Keiji—setter. I look forward to getting to know you all and seeing how our team can grow with our new additions. Bokuto-san is extremely trustworthy and capable and I know he is going to lead us to places we’ve never been before. Feel free to ask questions or ask for help—we are all more than happy to oblige.” 

Akaashi offers a slight pat of comfort on Bokuto’s forearm before unwinding it from his shoulders. He glances to the side to find Bokuto positively glowing and his signature smile plastered across his face. Konoha lets a snicker slip, and Akaashi offers a steely glare in his direction, properly shutting him up. 

The next month passes in a similar manner. Akaashi lightly dusts each and every conversation he has with Bokuto with gentle words of affirmation and praise and he takes note of a significant decrease in Bokuto’s dejected mode moments. He promptly takes a mental note of the change. 

All seems to pass without a hitch until one fateful day where the air around Bokuto is sullen. He looks exhausted and downtrodden, something Akaashi (thankfully) hasn’t seen in a while. No amount of lighthearted conversation or reflection about Bokuto’s various volleyball successes overcome this extreme bout of depression. As practice is about to start, Akaashi decides that it’s time to bring out the big guns—he just needs to figure out _when_.

After the tenth blocked cross-shot, Akaashi decides to take fate into his own hands. “Konoha, you help lead the first years in fine-tuning their serves. Komi, could you please lead receiving practice?” The two nod in confirmation before Akaashi turns to Bokuto, looking more dejected than before. 

“Bokuto-san, let’s go outside and stretch.” He nods as Akaashi leads the way to the courtyard outside the gym. The two sit down and begin their stretches in comfortable silence when Bokuto finally speaks up.

“I failed my Japanese and Math quizzes. And if I don’t get my grades up, I’m scared I’m going to have to miss practice games or take less time practicing with you guys.” His gaze never leaves a single dandelion positioned at Akaashi’s feet. 

“God, I’m so DUMB! The only thing I’m good at is volleyball and even then, people treat me like an idiot! If I can barely do _this_ , how am I going to handle things in the future? Like training? Or figuring out which team is best for me? Or even TAXES?”

Before he can spiral even further, Akaashi speaks up. “Bokuto-san,” the wing spiker finally meets his eyes, “you are an extremely intelligent person. You can analyze volleyball plays in a split second and adjust the aim of your spikes. You are perceptive, and kind, and nurturing, and know exactly how to comfort someone at the moment. You’re a natural-born leader and help to the utmost of your abilities whenever asked.”

Bokuto’s face and posture begin to soften. “You may have not achieved the grade you wanted on your exams, but now that you know what you did wrong, I know you’re going to do everything in your power to correct your mistakes and grow from them. Because _that’s_ the Bokuto-san I know. That’s how _my_ captain succeeds.”

Akaashi swears he sees _something_ flash through those golden eyes for a millisecond before Bokuto quickly stands. “You’re right! How are you always so _right_ , Akaashi?” He slaps his cheeks twice, most likely to get himself back together, and reaches his hand over to Akaashi, still sitting on the grass. 

“Now come on, let’s get back to practice! I’m itching to hit some of _my_ vice captain’s tosses today!” He beams one last kilowatt smile at Akaashi before he takes the outstretched hand. He gets pulled up from his seat and Bokuto immediately runs off to join the others in the gym, leaving Akaashi wondering if Bokuto also felt sparks when their hands met.

“Well,” Akaashi says to himself, “I guess now is the best time to move onto phase two.”

Part 2: Gifts

Akaashi Keiji is not a fan of excess. He focuses on what he needs when it arises and this system thankfully helps keep his mind at ease.

This is why his mind is absolutely a jumbled up mess, at the moment. Phase two of his plan is supposed to be based around gift-giving, but he has no idea how to do it without it being blatantly obvious. He’s worried Bokuto will just ignore the meaning behind his gifts while the rest of the team catches on quickly to his goal. Ugh.

He ruminates on what the hell he is going to get for Bokuto until fate decides to intervene (thank goodness). The volleyball team plans a yearly Golden Week training camp at a volleyball facility about 45 minutes away. The facility is owned by alumni of the team, so they are able to rent out a court and rooms at the inn for a relatively good price. (Well, Akaashi knows it’s a relatively good price as no one trusted Bokuto to handle the booking and payment).

The practices run without a hitch—Akaashi is able to hone in his sets much better, Bokuto works on his straight shot, the first years are finally able to make solid receives, and Konoha manages to make it three whole days without annoying Washio (he did, however, earn a slap or two for some bad puns). 

Classes resume and things seem to return to normal until Akaashi notices something was off at practice. Bokuto is known for his extravagantly large knee pads, so when he began to warm up and practice without them, Akaashi was thoroughly confused. 

Bokuto continued to practice without restraint and showed no signs of pain or discomfort without his knee pads—the bruises forming on his knees proved otherwise. During their extra spiking practice after everyone else left, Akaashi approached Bokuto and asked, “Bokuto-san, did you leave your knee pads at home in the wash?”

“OH! No—when I got home from the training camp, I dug through my bag and couldn’t find my pads anywhere! I think I left them at the inn but I haven’t had the time to get a new pair. But no worries, ‘Kaashi, I won’t need them for a while!”

Akaashi glances down to Bokuto’s bruising knees once more before he comes up with the perfect gift for Bokuto. The two cool down and head their separate ways for the night.

The next day, Akaashi breaks it to Bokuto that he is unable to attend their extra practice that evening. Bokuto offers one of his best pouts, but a yakisoba bun from Akaashi erases the pout immediately.

The following morning, Bokuto opens his shoe locker only to find a new set of kneepads laying atop his school shoes. 

Akaashi hears a rousing, “THANKS ‘KAASHI,” and subsequent ‘whoops’ from his hiding place behind the lockers and knew his gift was a success. 

Part 3: Acts of Service

There are plenty of ways to wake up energized from a deep, restful sleep. Being startled awake an hour before you normally wake up is not on that list. Akaashi promptly silences his alarm and remains under his covers until the last possible moment, attempting to postpone the acknowledgment that morning has arrived as long as possible.

He washes up and gets dressed only to head down to the kitchen and prepare his lunch for the day. Up until this point, Akaashi never thought twice about buying lunch at school, but lately, he’s found himself binging cooking videos online until his parents _make_ him go to bed. The interest has always been there, but he never had the energy in the morning to actually act on it.

This week was different, he planned and prepared everything for his weekly meals the night prior and set his alarm early enough that he would have some spare time in case his first attempt was an utter disaster.

Thankfully, everything went as planned and he had enough time to set the leftovers aside for tomorrow’s lunch. “I need to start rationing out ingredients for one person so I don’t waste food from now on,” he whispers to himself.

Akaashi gathers up his things and makes his way over to morning practice—deciding to take the longer, more scenic route and watch the sunrise while his mind slowly awakens.

As the lunch bell reverberates throughout the halls, Akaashi meets Bokuto at their usual spot before heading downstairs. As they progress through the line, something clicks in Bokuto’s mind and he quickly looks over to Akaashi, most likely giving everyone around them whiplash-by-proxy.

“AGHAASHI! Where’s your lunch? Are you not hungry? Are you sick? OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY DO I NEED TO TAKE YOU TO THE NURSE?” He starts sputtering around and wildly posturing and almost slaps Akaashi’s face while attempting to check if he has a fever.

Akaashi gently takes hold of Bokuto’s wrist and removes his hand from his forehead. “Thank you for your concern, Bokuto-san, but I’m fine. I made my lunch today—I’m practicing my cooking skills so I’m going to try to bring something every day.” He raises his small bento as proof and Bokuto relaxes. 

“Aghahshee, you can’t SCARE me like that!” Akaashi chuckles slightly behind his hand as Bokuto pays for his food. The two head off to meet up with the rest of the team and eat their lunches.

Conversation flows easily as everyone begins to devour their food. Akaashi opens his bento and steadily begins to eat, listening to Konoha and Komi bicker over an answer on their English quiz while Saru and Bokuto just stare—not knowing who was correct (answer—neither of them were).

Washio comments on how nice his lunch looks which prompts the chaos demons to attack. “It’s no big deal, everyone. I’ve been interested in trying to cook more and we always have leftovers from the night before, so it didn’t take too much time to put together a bento this morning—Konoha-san stop looking at me like I just won Iron Chef, it’s not anything special.”

Konoha harrumphs—literally—and turns back to eating his meal while Bokuto’s gaze still rests on Akaashi’s lunch. The bell rings once more and the group splits off for the rest of the afternoon.

Practice runs smoothly, but Bokuto seems a bit less energetic than usual. His jumps aren’t reaching their normal height, his spikes—while still Earth-shattering—aren’t as precise, and there are fewer ‘hey, hey, hey’s reverberating throughout the gym. As they leave the gym after cleaning up, Bokuto’s fatigue is much more prominent.

“Bokuto-san…”

“I’m fine, ‘Kaashi, don’t worry!”

“But Bokuto-san, you’re more drained than usual. Are you alright?” Bokuto stretches his arms above his head to relieve some tension in his shoulders before continuing on.

“Akaashi, I’m _fine_ , I promise. I haven’t been sleeping as well lately, but it’ll pass! Oh, by the way! I’m not going to be able to make it to lunch for the next two weeks,” he says with a forced smile.

“Bokuto-san, I…”

“What did I _just_ say? Everything’s fine! I took your advice and I’m getting tutored in Japanese and Math for the next two weeks in prep for our exams, but the only time I can make it because of practice.”

Akaashi nods and hums in agreement just before the two go their separate ways.

Morning arrives sooner than Akaashi would have preferred, but he is starting to enjoy the quiet serenity of the early hours. He runs through his normal, morning routine before preparing his lunch for the day. However, this time, he doesn’t place the extra serving in the fridge for later. He places both bentos in his bag before heading out for the day.

After practice, Akaashi _just_ barely catches Bokuto before the ace heads off to his classroom. “Bokuto-san, wait!” Bokuto quickly turns around and cocks his head to the side, making him resemble an owl more than usual.

“Here,” Akaashi says, placing the extra bento box in Bokuto’s large hands. “I was unsure as to if you would have time for lunch with your tutoring.” He twiddles his fingers and glances down at his feet once the box leaves his hands.

“‘Kaashi, I—”

Akaashi raises his palm to signal Bokuto to stop talking. “Bokuto-san, I wouldn’t make it if I didn’t want to. We have plenty of extra food so it’s no trouble. And at least now I can guarantee the leftovers aren't going to waste!” 

Bokuto remains frozen for a moment before enveloping Akaashi in one of Bokuto’s famous vice-grip hugs. “YOU’RE THE BEST, ‘KAASHI!”

For the next two weeks, Akaashi receives a text message from Bokuto with a picture of his empty bento box alongside words of encouragement and comments about how Akaashi should become his personal chef if volleyball doesn’t work out. 

Part 4: Quality time

No matter how many times Akaashi runs the previous days’ events through his head, he still has no idea how he got into his current situation. 

It’s 11:00 am on Saturday, September 19th and he is waiting at a nearby park for Bokuto so the two of them can spend the day together. How did this even happen?

It all started when Akaashi wished Bokuto a happy early birthday on Friday. He should have known that even the slightest acknowledgment of his birthday would send the ace bouncing off the walls in excitement. 

Akaashi looked upon the scene fondly from afar—the rest of the team inquiring about his birthday plans while Bokuto relished the attention. 

“So, any big plans for this weekend? It’s your 18th, right?”

“Nah, nothing too big,” Bokuto said, rubbing the back of his neck. “My family’s hosting a dinner at our place for our relatives the day of, and they rejected my idea of going to the amusement park or the zoo. Now I have no idea how to celebrate.” 

He began to sulk, Komi apologized for bringing up the sore subject and attempted to diffuse the situation. Thankfully, practice was about to begin and Bokuto quickly swapped into Captain Mode to start their drills. 

Akaashi’s wheels started turning and thinking of ways he could surprise Bokuto for his birthday, but that thought had to wait until later. 

Later came a lot sooner than expected—lunchtime to be exact. Akaashi and Bokuto approached their usual lunch spot, only to find the others missing. The two shrugged it off and claimed their spot out of habit. 

The two ate in relative silence, which was rare. Quiet never bothered Akaashi. However, he was concerned over Bokuto’s almost somber demeanor. 

“Bokuto-san.” The silver-haired man looked up from his meal, eyes sullen. Akaashi offered a soft smile to let Bokuto know he would not press on but was there to listen. 

Bokuto sighed. “I originally had plans for this weekend, but they fell through a while ago and I was too scared to pick up the pieces again. It’s my fault I’m spending my 18th birthday alone. This is a big one!! And I had to go and screw things up as usual.”

The speed at which his forehead hit the table was almost impressive, but Akaashi knew better than to let out the chuckle he was holding in. Instead, he spoke softly. 

“I’m sorry to hear about your previous plans, Bokuto-san, but there is still enough time to organize something else if you truly want to.”

“Really?” He said as he raised his head from the table.

“Yes, really. Your birthday is Sunday, which means you have all of Saturday and even Sunday to have a get together of some sort.”

Bokuto took a moment and let Akaashi’s words sink in before rapidly jumping up from his place at the table.

“You’re so smart, ‘Kaashi! You’re right—oh gosh, there’s so much I want to do now! Like, go to the amusement park, ooh ooh! Or the zoo or maybe even go to that one new museum by that one place in town!” 

Akaashi entertained all of Bokuto’s ideas so as to not dampen his mood once again when suddenly Bokuto turned to him.

“Are you free tomorrow, ‘Kaashi?”

He prayed to every deity out there that Bokuto did not see the blush across his cheeks. “Yes, I am, Bokuto-san. Why are you asking?”

“Let’s go out tomorrow! The weather is supposed to be nice so we can do whatever we want! AND, we won’t have to worry about leaving early since I don’t have dinner plans until Sunday!”

~

Thinking back on the events, logically they made sense. But that doesn’t mean Akaashi is any less flustered thinking about spending the entire day with his crush.

“Is this a date?” He thinks to himself. “No, Bokuto just didn’t want to be alone for his birthday—you’re just spending some time together, that’s all.”

Before Akaashi can get even more lost in his thoughts, the object of his affection bounds over towards his spot in the park. He picks up the small gift bag in front of him and makes his way over to Bokuto.

“AGHASHEE! You made it! Am I late? Were you waiting long?” 

“Not at all, Bokuto-san. Also, this is for you—happy 18th birthday.” He passes the small gift bag over to Bokuto, who takes it with glee. He opens the bag and pulls out a small, stuffed owl wearing an FC Tokyo Volleyball jersey and holding tickets to one of their matches. 

Akaashi counts his heartbeats as Bokuto stares at the present in silence—eyes wide and shoulders stiff. After a few, too many moments in silence, Bokuto wraps Akaashi in a crippling hug. 

“This is already the best birthday, EVER, ‘Kaashi—I don’t know how to thank you enough!” Akaashi pats Bokuto’s back a few times in comfort and to signal that he can’t breathe properly. He lets go and the two move on towards the street to begin the festivities. 

They start out walking around a nearby shopping center. Akaashi wanted to buy a few new books and Bokuto wanted to check out the sporting goods store. Neither store was visited.

Bokuto ended up dragging Akaashi into a small toy store where a street artist set up their caricature booth. The line moved at a glacial pace, and after a half-hour of waiting, it was finally their turn. The picture was goofy, to say the least, and Akaashi insisted on paying for it, as it was one of Bokuto’s gifts, after all. 

They pass by an old movie theatre that happens to be playing one of Akaashi’s favorite, vintage movies. After a few minutes attempting to persuade Bokuto that he doesn’t need to see it, he gave in, and the two walk into the theatre, tickets in hand. 

The day persists in a similar manner. The two have no definitive plans, but just follow whatever seems fun at the moment. By the time dinner arrives, their feet hurt from traipsing across town with no clear cut plan. Their day was filled with so much laughter and fun that the hours flew by.

They finally part ways at the train station, Bokuto’s arms covered in bags filled with who knows what while Akaashi’s arms are free. As Akaashi’s train arrives, he turns to Bokuto and offers a quick goodbye and another happy birthday. 

Before he can make his way towards the platform, he hears a, “wait!” Behind him, Bokuto dropped the bags in one of his hands, only to replace them with Akaashi’s wrist. 

“Go to the volleyball game with me. Please” Akaashi’s brain short circuits. He’s attempting to comprehend Bokuto’s question, Bokuto’s hand on his wrist, Bokuto’s body so close to his. Heat rushes to his face once again, and this time, he isn’t worried about Bokuto seeing.

“I—I’d love to Bokuto-san,” he says timidly. 

“Perfect! We’ll figure out details later! Thanks again for today, Akaashi!” He drops Akaashi’s wrist and makes his way towards his train, leaving a beet red Akaashi in his wake. Akaashi grasps his wrist lightly, attempting to feel Bokuto’s residual warmth radiating off of his skin. 

Part 5: Physical Touch

Over the last month and a half, the intensity of practices increased rapidly. The final round for the Tokyo Qualifiers is in two weeks and they need to make the top three in order to move on to Nationals in January. 

Akaashi should not let the pressure affect him to the level that it is, but nothing he does effectively pushes the anxiety and nerves back down. He needs to find a proper way to cope soon lest he let affect his performance even more.

Since childhood, Akaashi has never been a touchy person. He would never recoil from someone offering him a hug or slap on the back, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t startled by the sudden affection.

The only time he ever craves the comfort of touch is when his usual nerves become much too overwhelming—much like now. The weight and warmth that comes from an arm around his shoulders or a reassuring hug dissolves his nerves faster than he ever could alone. 

The issue is that he has no idea how to ask for it. So instead, he just shoulders his burden on his own until someone offers—not sustainable, but it works for now.

Well, it’s currently not working. Practice is almost torturous. No play runs the way he envisions and his mind and he is losing concentration due to his reeling mind. 

Thankfully, his generally stoic nature keeps all panic internal, so his teammates congratulate him on a good practice, as usual. 

“But the usual isn’t good enough,” he whispers to himself on his way to the locker room. He mentally recounts every mistake he made during practice while changing into his uniform, drowning out the sounds of his teammates. 

Once out of the locker room, Akaashi bolts down the hallway to a quiet corner to attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart. He’s so focused on himself that he doesn’t hear the footsteps steadily making their way towards him. 

Just as his heart rate calms, he feels a large, warm palm rest in between his shoulder blades. He looks to his right to find Bokuto’s reassuring smile, offering more comfort than an inspirational monologue ever could.

As Bokuto slowly removes his hand from Akaashi’s back, Akaashi  _ swears _ he feels it slowly trace down his spine before lifting off, sending his skin aflame. Bokuto smiles at him once more before heading off to his own classroom. 

Any chance of slowing his heart rate went out the window. 

The next two weeks pass in a similar fashion. 

As if on reflex, whenever Akaashi is in his head and overthinking, Bokuto softly brushes his knuckles against his. Or a fleeting touch to the small of his back. The worst was when Bokuto rested his hand on his knee when he was spiraling during lunchtime. 

The day of the finals arrives, and Akaashi’s nerves are at their peak. For his entire walk to school, his hands would not sit still and his mind was restless—thinking and overthinking every potential move he could possibly make during their matches.

As the team loaded onto the bus, he was somehow able to control himself and regain some semblance of composure. He finds his seat and looks out the window, drawing his attention to the passing buildings and cars in a poor attempt to calm his mind. 

Akaashi finds himself diving deeper and deeper into his thoughts just as he feels a familiar weight on his hand. He looks down to his hand on his leg, only to find Bokuto’s placed firmly on top of his—giving it a squeeze to ground him once more. 

He looks up to the ace and smiles, grin filled with gratitude and admiration. Bokuto gently smiles back before looking forward towards the front of the bus. The two remain that way until they arrive at the arena—both perfectly content with their situation.

They won. They won. He knew they would win, why did he ever think otherwise. 

They’re on the court celebrating, still basking in the high after Bokuto’s match-winning straight against their opponents. Akaashi makes eye contact with Bokuto just as he is swept up into a set of firm arms, encasing him in a bone-crushing hug.

“We did it, ‘Kaashi!! You did it!” Bokuto practically screams in his ear. 

“No, Bokuto-san,” he says, “we did it together.”

After the official awards ceremony, the team gathers their things and makes their way back to the bus, exhausted from their long day. Akaashi slumps in his seat like a sack of potatoes and relishes in the feeling of his body and mind finally relaxing.

Bokuto sits down next to him, still practically buzzing from their win. He quickly glances at Akaashi, obviously seeing how tired he is. He instead turns to talk to Konoha and relive the moments leading up to their win.

Sleep slowly overcomes Akaashi, his head growing heavy and body growing limp. In his dreamy daze, he _thinks_ he feels Bokuto’s hand once more engulfing his, but he isn’t sure. His eyes finally close and he lets his head fall, hoping Bokuto won’t mind if he borrows his shoulder for a moment. 

Chapter 6: Epilogue

Holidays with the team are eventful to say the least. Christmas Eve was supposed to be a calm gift exchange between members but ended up with Washio and Komi chasing down a wailing Konoha and Bokuto through a shopping center. 

New Year’s Eve at the Bokuto residence is shaping up in a similar fashion. The entire team is huddled around the coffee table in the living room and debating if  _ Die Hard _ is considered a Christmas movie. 

As everyone finishes their dinner, Akaashi offers to help Bokuto clear the dishes. Bokuto turns to him with a rousing, “You’re the best. I know I can always count on you!” Akaashi swore he was going to drop the plates then and there.

Once the dishes are cleaned and put away, the duo makes their way back to the group, only to find the previous debate still prattling on. Akaashi takes a seat on the floor and leans up against the couch, only to flinch slightly when he twists his shoulder the wrong way. 

He applies pressure and cringes when he feels a significant knot and decides he will just have to live with the discomfort for the night. “‘You alright there, ‘Kaashi?” Akaashi struggles to look behind him to find Bokuto peering at him from his spot on the couch, head tilted in question. 

“It’s nothing, Bokuto-san. I think I tweaked my shoulder a bit, but it should pass soon.”

“Let me help then! You can count on me to fix that shoulder right up!”

“But haven’t you had more shoulder issues than anyone else on the team, Bokuto?” Konoha snickers from the other side of the room.

“Well, maybe… but I’ve also learned how to fix them too, so THERE!” 

Akaashi stifles his laugh behind the palm of his hand, making Bokuto’s eyes expand before returning to a softer gaze. Akaashi situates himself between Bokuto’s legs, fiddling with his fingers once more while Bokuto skillfully works out the knot in his shoulder. 

He rests his eyes as Bokuto applies _just_ the right amount of pressure to break up the knot. He softly grazes his fingers across Akaashi’s shoulders, palpating to see if there are any other knots he can work on.

Once done, Akaashi turns around and thanks Bokuto once again, stating that he really didn’t need to offer the massage. Bokuto just brushes it off, per usual. Akaashi decides to be bold and remains sitting on the floor between Bokuto’s legs, only to be rewarded by the soft caresses skimming the back of his neck.

Midnight quickly approaches, so the group makes their way outside to light sparklers in celebration of the new year. Akaashi stays back, closer to the house, shivering slightly as he does tend to be a bit more sensitive to the cold. 

As he looks over to his rowdy teammates, he feels the weight of a blanket dropping over his shoulders. To his left, Bokuto’s standing rather stiff, a hand grasped around the back of his neck and actively avoiding Akaashi’s gaze. If he looks closely, Akaashi thinks he sees a light dusting of pink across his cheeks.

“Hey, Akaashi.” Akaashi’s back tenses—Bokuto rarely uses his full name. The pregnant pause that follows is suffocating. “Yes, Bokuto-san?”

“I—uh, I wanted to thank you.”

Akaashi’s confused—but a sudden realization hits him. Bokuto must have caught on to his plan and is about to reject him. Oh no. 

“What do you mean, Bokuto-san?” Better to play dumb now to prepare for the heartbreak. 

Still averting his gaze, Bokuto continues. “You, uh—you’ve always been there for me, even when I’m being difficult. You give me advice to help me improve, but it never comes from a place of condescension,” he looks to Akaashi, “did I use that right?”

Akaashi chuckles. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Okay good! Now, where was I...oh yeah! My first year on the team, I was always alone. People really just treated me like I was just _there_ and never took the time to fully understand me or spend time with me. I was alone until you came along, Akaashi.”

Bokuto finally locks eyes with him and Akaashi knows they are sporting matching red faces from the intimacy of the moment. 

Bokuto hesitates for a moment before grabbing Akaashi’s hand. “I’ve...I’ve been thinking about doing this for the last few months.”

“10, 9, 8…”

“Akaashi, thank you for being my world. Thank you for being here with and for me.”

“7, 6, 5…”

“Thank you for allowing me to go into the new year next to the most important person in my life.”

“4, 3, 2…”

A calloused hand cups his cheek as soft lips embrace his. Akaashi tentatively kisses back once the initial shock dissipates. The touch is tender like if either of them leans in any more, the moment will shatter like glass. They stay there in the moment, too scared to break away and find that this has all been a dream.

Bokuto, the ever brave Bokuto, steps back first. His face is as bright as a tomato, but relief washes over his face. He jumps back another step and throws his fist in the air in celebration.

“I DID IT! I KISSED ‘KAASHI AND HE KISSED ME BACK! We’re boyfriends now!” 

Akaashi stares at him in awe, still attempting to process what the hell just happened. The shock must be registering on his usually stoic face because Bokuto begins to backtrack on his excitement.

“Wait, wait…’Kaashi, are you okay? Did I mess something up? Oh, God, I forgot to ask, didn’t I? I watched Grease last night to try to get tips on being smooth but I didn’t—”

“Bokuto-san…”

“I can’t believe I forgot to ask! I stole your first kiss and now you want to break up with me!”

“Bokuto-san…” Bokuto is growing increasingly more flustered by the second. He finally turns to Akaashi and gets down on one knee, face as serious as ever. 

“Akaashi Keiji, will you go steady with me?”

Akaashi erupts into the loudest fit of laughter he thinks he’s ever had. Bokuto slowly stands up, eyebrows lifted in confusion. Once Akaashi catches his breath, he places both of his hands on Bokuto’s cheeks and brings him down for another kiss.

As they part, Akaashi sees Bokuto’s signature radiant, goofy smile across his face. 

Akaashi’s hands still rest on Bokuto’s cheeks as he says, “I would be honored to ‘go steady’ with you. But, as a point of advice, maybe don’t model your confession on such an old film.”

The two laugh to themselves before joining the rest of the team in welcoming in the new year. Sparklers illuminate the night, a symphony of laughter making the cold, winter atmosphere feel much warmer. 

Akaashi looks over to Bokuto once more and once again realizes that the light and happiness in his golden eyes shine brighter than the stars in the sky.


End file.
